Riding Hoods
by SilvermoonRoze
Summary: He hung the red hood on the tombstone with Zero's name carved into it and he waited and waited silently for something to happen. KanameXZero, YukiXIchiru  ONESHOT


Disclaimer: I do **not** own Vampire Knight.

Warning: (SHOUNEN AI)**KanameXZero**, (DON'T FLAME THIS)**YukiXIchiru** (Don't read on if you don't like the pairing. I'm warning you so don't say that I didn't but of course, you'll be missing the fun).

RIDING HOODS

Far, far away, in the era where werewolves, vampires and others magical creatures roamed freely and wildly out of the reign of human realm, lived a widow who was a baker renowned for making Ginger Bread man. She had a special skill to turn cookies into living tiny troublemakers and yet, this didn't stop her from opening her own bakery. She was gifted with two adorable sons, both were twins, and she poured all of her heart into raising them.

The twins were called Zero and Ichiru. It was a joke the godfather of the twins, Yagari, had played when christening them with the names. She recalled the vampire hunter (yes, they do have vampire hunters but they hunt for vampires' blood for medical purpose) saying during the christening moment, "I called him Zero because 0 comes before 1". Since she had no room for argument, she couldn't change the names and she regretted the fact that she had picked another bastard to name the twins.

Zero and Ichiru were identical when it comes to looks but one could always identify them separately. The trick is to understand the nature of the twins and to see them as individuals. Zero, despite all the scowling he put on his cute little face, is a big softy at heart. Once, she caught Zero talking to a stripy cat and when the cat meowed back at him, he continued talking to it like he was talking to another person. It had had her worried over her baby and she tried to make him talk to other kids but Zero put up a barrier between him and the society whenever he was around humans. She gave up on making him do the impossible and just hoped that she would see the day where Zero would be waiting for his bride to walk down the aisle.

Ichiru is a contrast of Zero. He deals with real people and his love for people do sometimes invited wolves that wore the sheep skins. No matter how many times the poor mother nagged to this one child about the famous 'don't talk to stranger' line, the rule just didn't seem to stick in his head. At first, Ichiru's behavior went unnoticed. It was around the same week she found out of Zero incapability to be around people that she found out of Ichiru's attention seeker's side through the hard way.

She was only letting her youngest son to play in the sand box while conversing with the middle aged women who were also at the park with their children but when she turned around to cast her watching eyes on her youngest son, he was gone. She went into panic mode and ran around, searching for him. Luckily, she found him in the presence of another man, obliviously chattering and she saw the evil, evil glint in the man's dark eyes. The man was crippled in a matter of minutes and she walked away while giving Ichiru a piggyback ride.

And now, her two boys are all big, strong and beautiful and she shed a happy tear to see them growing into two fine young men. To think that they are now big enough to deliver Yagari-the bastard- the cake she had baked, she couldn't be any prouder and happier. This would be the twin's first real journey away from home and Yagari's house wasn't exactly close. Since he was a hunter, it made a perfect sense for him to stay close to his resources. The con was it would take a few hours for him to go to town for grocery shopping. Normally, the man would fetch the cake himself but he had caught a terrible flu and when he had talked to her on the phone, she had been worried for him. That was why she had to send her children to visit Yagari and brought him the groceries he hadn't been able to buy because there was no way she could leave the bakery unattended.

Then, the time to see them off came knocking at her kitchen's door. She placed the cake in the basket and the grocery in another basket and gave it to them. She had explained earlier of what the boys should and shouldn't do when walking in the forest and reminded them to keep following the trail. She had also reminded them of the big, bad vampires who would do anything to drink their blood until they were skin and bone and that they must not talk to any tempting looking creatures that looked like they had had plastic surgery to make themselves appear... enchanting. With a shout of goodbye from the mother, the twins left the house, wearing the hoods their mother had sewn to keep them away from the April shower.

**-Riding Hoods-**

"I think she's just overreacting", Ichiru said swinging the basket lightly. His lavender hood covering his hair acted as a shade against the sun. He didn't like wearing the hood meant for little girls because he is seventeen for goodness sake! He was in a foul mood too since he had to break his promise of attending a friend's party because he had to deliver groceries to Yagari. Can't their mother tell that he has his own life to lead? Doesn't she even consider the number of friends Ichiru had worked hard to gather?

"Let's just be careful", Zero muttered sullenly. He too was unhappy because he hated meeting anyone else including the ones he had known, saved for Ichiru and his mother. Since young, he found humans fake. They smiled like they meant it but Zero could tell the underlying meaning of their so called smiles.

"Let's just walk. I don't feel like talking", Zero said, pulling his red hood up to evade the bright light.

The twins let silence consumed them until they arrived at the entrance to the forest. Even before entering, Zero could sense danger poisoning the forest thickly. He was also reminded of his mother's warning of vampires. They were rumoured to be vulgar, heartless creatures that had lived in the forest for centuries. Zero didn't worry of werewolves because they only appeared during certain time of the month but vampires... those creatures that turn themselves into bats was a different story.

"The forest is so dark that it creeps me out", Ichiru whispered. A part of him was telling him to go back to town. The forest, nicknamed as the place where the monsters reside, hold true to its name. Towering above the ground was the canopy; the blanket covering the ground was the grasses up to the knee length tall. The tree branches intertwined with each other, forming shapes that make one skin's crawl. The creatures living in the forest must have never seen the light at all, judging from the darkness spreading throughout the forest endlessly.

"But we have to send this groceries", Zero argued half heartedly. He too, if plausible, wanted to make a dash away from it.

"Zero-nii, see those dark shadows? Not even the sun touches the floor of this scary place. I don't think it is safe for us to go there".

"I know Ichiru but we have to go. Unless you are being a kid about it, that is".

Ichiru glared at his brother angrily. He was not a kid! Nobody addressed Ichiru that way and not even his brother could group him the same with children. Even so, he knew he couldn't just walk into the lion's den and what was better than testing the safety level of the forest?

"Alright, but you have to at least stand inside there for ten seconds and if you are still alive, I'll go".

Zero nodded. If Ichiru wanted to play the coward role, so be it. He walked into the dark forest valiantly and stood still for ten seconds but the times felt stretched and his senses heightened. Zero thought he saw a pair of red eyes for a moment and he blinked his eyes. Then the pair of red eyes was gone. A second after that, he was sure he heard soft rustling noises of the trees but he let it go as a fragment of imagination. After what seems like forever, ten seconds passed and he was glad that he was still alive and breathing. Ichiru went to his side, lessening the tension he had been feeling. Gripping on his brother's hand to make sure they are always by each other's side, they kept following the trail as instructed by their mother.

In the dark, Zero could hardly identify the surrounding but when they came to a brighter zone of the forest, which was still quite dark, Zero was surprised to see the garden of wild roses and lilies on the right side of the trail. On the left side were taller bushes. The flowers grew in many colours but Zero was attracted to the crimson roses and he suddenly had the urge to pick them.

"Do you think we have time to spare for flower gathering?" Zero looked at Ichiru.

"Maybe we should make a bouquet for Yagari. He might feel better enough to walk us home after seeing the flowers".

"Um, um", Zero agreed. He might need to convince Yagari to let their mother take care of him, which on the brighter note means that they don't have to walk alone in the unfamiliar place.

"I'll go and see if there are more flowers on the left side while you pick whatever you like here".

"Don't wander too far, Ichiru!"

"I won't".

Zero watched his brother's form disappearing. Shrugging, he kneeled down and started selecting the flowers that he liked. He was so absorbed in picking the flowers that he failed to notice the person who was standing behind him, watching him with hungry crimson eyes. An unintended cough caught the silver haired boy by surprise and he looked up to see the source of the noise. When he saw a man, an extremely handsome man at that, his eyebrows knitted together and he glared at the said man for interrupting his fun.

"Hello, there, little one", the man greeted. Zero certainly didn't like to be addressed as 'little one' because the last time he checked, he has outgrown the size of an elementary school kid.

"Leave me alone". Zero looked away. He didn't feel the need to talk to the man because he doesn't know him. However, the other seemed to ignore the fact that Zero wished to be left alone. His eyes were trained on Zero as if he was a part of museum display. The silver haired teen was annoyed. He had almost crushed the flower in his hand and he wanted nothing else but to make the man disappear.

He hissed at the said man indignantly. Finding it amusing, the brunette squatted down until he was the same eye level with Zero.

"You have an interesting character", said the man. Now that they were up close, Zero was forced to take in the details of the brunette's features. The man, at the first glance, is handsome but when up close, his beauty is almost supernatural. The man with brunette hair falling into the right places was adorned with high bridge nose. His face curved delicately, his red wine eyes hold a meaningful stare as he gazed into Zero's eyes. Zero's blood rose to his cheeks, feeling slightly embarrassed by the way their eyes met. His heartbeat drummed a rhythm unknown to him; the tiny attraction in between them went unquestioned.

"You are staring and I believe, it is rude to stare", the brunette smiled knowingly.

Zero's brows knitted again to show his annoyance. Truly annoying, this man was. He kept the flowers into the basket, hating the fact that even his action was stared at by the other. If he stayed longer, they wouldn't be able to make it to Yagari's house before dawn. Furthermore, he recalled his mother words to avoid from talking to any 'tempting looking' creature. This brunette sure did fall into the 'tempting looking' category.

"You haven't tell me your name, little boy", said the brunette.

"Why should I? I don't have to tell you if I don't want to".

"Ah, so stubborn, I see. If that is how you want this meeting to be then allow me to call you the red riding hood". Zero stood up, brushing the leaves stuck on his pants away. The man can call him anything and he wouldn't give a damn about it.

"So, may I know where you are heading, little one?"

"I don't talk to strangers. So, bug off".

"I'm Kaname. Now that you know my name, do return the favour of telling me where you are heading to".

"Why the hell do you care?" Zero bellowed with a troubled expression.

"You caught my eye, red riding hood. Don't deny the attraction we have felt a moment ago. If you refused to tell me, I might as well follow you if I have to because I am interested in you".

And the silver haired teen did not sit well with the idea of Kaname walking in his shadow like a stalker.

"Fine, I'm going to a Vampire hunter's house on the other side of the forest. So, there, leave me alone". He wasted no time to farther himself from the brunette. Kaname smiled as he watched the young teen distanced himself away from him. The silver haired boy kept watchful eyes on him and when he heard Ichiru called him from behind the bushes did he look away.

"Zero, let's go", the younger twin beamed, Zero's hand was now in his grip. Zero threw another glance at the brunette but the said man wasn't among the roses anymore. The silver haired teen blinked, wondering if Kaname had been real or only a part of his imagination.

**-Riding hoods-**

"Zero, I talked to a girl".

"Well, I talked to a stranger".

Both were guilty for not listening to their mother's warning.

"I don't think they are harmful, Zero-nii. They are probably one of those vampire hunters".

"Yagari cannot be the only one".

They both agreed to the reasoning. Yagari could NOT be the only one.

**-Riding Hoods-**

Kaname leaned against the branch, waiting for Yuki to meet him at the place they had promised to meet again. While waiting, his mind drifted back to his encounter with his red riding hood, his soon to be meal. It had been a while since he last drank a young human's blood, anymore cow blood, he would fall into the depth of insanity but he had a good fortune that he had found a target picking up roses, ignorant to the fact that he could be one of the monsters the human resent so much. Not to mention that his target had a cute face and his blood smelled exotic too. He could already imagine the taste of the fresh human blood as the substance flowed down his mouth. His fangs throbbed.

And to think that his target had easily give out his destination to the vampire! A fool must the boy have been! To a vampire hunter's house he had said. This would only mean one thing. The prey's destination is Yagari's.

He carefully thought for ideas to buy himself some time. There would be a cross road a mile from the flower gardens where he had met the boy. Both would lead eventually to Yagari's house but the distance is the one that differs. One route is the long way and the other is the short way. He believed that his target had little knowledge of the forest tracks and it would be easy to fool the teen to use the long way. He just needs to switch the signboard to buy them time to reach the hunter's house before the teen. Takuma had told him that Yagari was sick and wouldn't be able to fight any incoming attack. Wasn't that a convenient coincidence?

"Brother, have you been waiting long?" asked his younger sister who had just reached their promised meeting place. This snapped Kaname out from his thought.

"No, I have just reached here. Do you find any prey, dear sister?"

"About that. Um, this is a bit complicated", Yuki trailed off, "Brother, can we go to Yagari's house? I know it's very dangerous for us but the young human is heading there".

"Of course. I was thinking of going there as well".

"Oh? Do you need to do something over there, brother?"

"Yes. It seems that my target is going there too, but if your target and my target are heading the same way then it would mean they are together as a pair. Then, my plan will work.

We should get to the junction before them".

"Why are we going to the junction, brother?"

"You will see".

Yuki nodded and the siblings morphed into bat form. Having living in the forest for three thousand years, they had the forest map in the back of their hands. In less than a minute, they reached the junction before the two humans did.

Kaname morphed back into his vampire form and with his power, he switched the writings on the signboards to confuse the humans.

"Oh, brother! You are brilliant", Yuki praised. Her brother had always come out with outstanding idea such as this. Without Kaname, Yuki wouldn't be able to survive. Vampires do need to feed on real blood in order to live.

The siblings exchanged smirks and morphed back to their bat form. Just as they left, the twins arrived at the junction, stopping at the junction to read the signboards. The twins decided to take the shorter route, unknowingly to them that it was actually the long way to Yagari's house.

-Riding Hoods-

"Zero-nii, the short route doesn't make the journey any shorter".

"This is better than taking the long route. Stop complaining".

**-Riding Hoods-**

Yagari's house. If a vampire was clueless of Yagari's career, his end would be closer than he thought. Yagari was no average vampire hunter. Surrounding the normal looking house was a highly sensitive barrier that would alert the hunter of any vampire's presence. One touch and you would end in the bottle as medicine to cure the human's disease. Kaname and Yuki watched from the bush for any sign of Yagari. They had the power to hack into Yagari's ground but they would have to do it without Yagari noticing them.

After a while of checking for Yagari's form, the siblings crawled closer to the barrier. Kaname placed his hand on the barrier and a hole was formed, big enough for them to crawl into the ground safely without alerting Yagari. Then, they morphed into the bat form and entered the house through the chimney. The two vampires sneaked a peek before deciding that it was safe for them to enter the room. Luckily for them, Yagari was nowhere to be seen and after a thorough research, they transformed back into their vampire form. A note on the mirror was a message from the said hunter to inform their preys that he would be back from collecting herbs just after dawn.

Yuki saw this as a chance to put the Yagari's belonging into good use. She had always wanted to see Kaname bedridden and when else could she witness it if not now?

"Brother, I think you should disguise yourself as Yagari. You have to pretend to be sick in place of Yagari. That will make it easier for us to catch them", Yuki suggested. Kaname agreed and lied on the bed, trying to look bedridden but even in the dark, anyone would be able to tell Kaname isn't Yagari. She believed that they needed some sort of aid to make the acting looks real.

"That's not believable enough", Yuki commented.

"We should try to cover my face. That way they won't be able to tell immediately who I am".

"Hmm..." Yuki raided the drawer next to the bed and found a handkerchief. She tied the handkerchief around Kaname's mouth to cover the lower half of his face.

"That would do". Both of her hands were on her hips and she was satisfied at the simplicity of the disguise. A knock sounded on the door to announce the arrival of their preys. Yuki gave Kaname thumbs up, mouthing 'good luck' to him silently and hid herself inside the cupboard. Another knock and Kaname called them in.

Yuki had made sure the room was dark enough to lessen the prey's visual sensitivity to facial structure's changes. Their preys, for some reason, didn't bother to turn on the light and the vampires were glad for it. Kaname watched the two figures came closer into his field of vision and he was surprised to see the identical faces of the two people.

'Must be twins', he mused. The only way he could differentiate them was by the colour of the hoods, which he could distinguished by the aid of his superhuman eyes. His prey would be the one wearing the red hood while Yuki's would be the one with the lavender hood.

"Bastard, you should be glad that we even come here to visit you. So, how are you faring?" the twin with the lavender hood spoke. Kaname winced at the vulgarity of his words. For a young teen, he sure had the courage to blurt profanities to his elders.

"Can you restrain yourself from saying something that would hurt my fair ears?" Kaname said softly.

The twins cocked confused brows. Yagari seldom cared about their way of talking to him but he did sometimes tell them to watch their mouth. That wasn't the odd part though. The odd part was the fact that Yagari's gruff voice was replaced by a silky soft voice. It was like he had turned into someone else.

"Since when is your voice smooth and soft?" The twin with the red hood asked. Kaname's heart throbbed at the confused face his red riding hood put on. Seldom would the cuteness of his prey made his heart heavy to kill him and this one was certainly one of those beings that could bring out the soft side of him. Yet, he buried the train of thought underground. He certainly did not need affection to halt him from going for the kill.

"My voice is so soft because the fever is just too... high. Thanks for your concern anyways".

The twins gasped. Yagari had never thanked anyone and to think that he did, the fever must be getting to him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" the lavender hood teen asked.

"Yes, I'm sure I will recover soon. Ah, can you boys come closer? I can't see you clearly", said Kaname, beckoning them to inch closer to him. The twins nodded and did as they were told.

"Maybe we should switch on the light. That way you can see us better".

"No, no, no. The darkness is fine. Oh, I seem to forget your name. Will you reintroduce yourself again to me?"

"What? You forgot us? Yagari-sensei, are you sure you're alright?" the lavender hood teen asked.

"Yes, I am sure. It's just that I have a memory lapse for a moment there".

His red riding hood scowled. Yagari sensei didn't seem healthy, in his opinion.

"Sensei, I'm Zero and this is Ichiru". Ah, so his red riding is called Zero.

"Zero..." Kaname let the name rolled off his tongue. He couldn't believe it that the name sounded as sweet as the scent of the teen's blood. Instinctively, he licked his lips.

"How about me? Aren't you going to say my name too, sensei?" Ichiru whined.

"Of course I am, Ichiru", and Ichiru smiled back.

Ichiru leaned into his personal bubble. "Ne, sensei, why do you have red eyes? You really don't look well, sensei".

"I have red eyes so I could see you better. My eyes gained power to see you in the dark because of the fever but it has limited range". Well, that was a lie but the twins seemed to believe his words.

"Sensei, I thought you have black hair?" this time, Zero questioned.

"Well, the barber accidentally dyed my hair when I went to the shop to wash them. You know how deaf the old man can be sometimes. Hahaha".

"I thought the barber is only 27!" Ichiru retorted.

"Well, it must be his old man then?"

"But his old man died a year ago", Zero tried to remind 'Yagari'.

"Then, it must be his relative". Kaname tried to reason.

"Are you sure? Because his old man is a single child", Ichiru threw a suspicious glare his way. What do you know? These two were sharper than he thought and he regretted the fact that he used 'barber' as an excuse.

"Well, maybe it is someone that he hires. And we can stop arguing here while Ichiru, could you please skin the apple for me, please!" Kaname said hotly. He was a man with short temper and these two really did challenge his already short wiring. He could also hear the soft giggling from inside the cupboard. Yuki would pay for this later but for now, he'd attempt to make the situation advantageous for them.

"Alright", Ichiru said and left the room. Zero sat at the bedside, saying not a single word to him. When Ichiru was back , the room suddenly reeked of blood.

"You're bleeding, Ichiru", Kaname stated while closing his eyes to hide the transition of his eye colours.

"Eh? How do you know, sensei?" Ichiru asked.

"Because my nose is sensitive to blood's scent", Kaname said.

Ichiru smiled sheepishly. "I managed to cut myself. You should've asked Zero to do it because he's better with knives".

"My bad then".

The room suddenly fell into quietness. Kaname opened his eyes to see what caused the sudden quietness. He was surprised to see Zero's wide eyes and Ichiru trembling in fear.

"Sensei, w-why do you have sharp teeth?" Zero choked his own saliva.

Oh, screw that. Their cover had been exposed by no one else but himself. And here he thought he could play a little longer.

"I have sharp lethal teeth so that I can drink your blood", and the only exit shut itself while the cupboard's door sprung open. Yuki came out, hissing at the two silver haired teens.

"Ze-Zero!" Ichiru ran to hide behind his brother.

"You!" Zero hissed once he recognized the face of the vampire. It was him! He is a vampire and Zero couldn't believe how foolish he had been a while back! He looked around frantically for a way out.

"The twins ran towards the window. Zero picked up the closest chair and flung it towards the glass but the window didn't shatter. Yagari must have cast a protective spell on the window to make it harder than a rock. At times like this, weapon proof windows were the worst choice when making the house safe. They couldn't even escape, what with the exits shut away from them.

Ichiru screamed when he was suddenly pulled away from his brother. Sharp nails dug into his flesh; blood seeped out like water. He was in pain; he was scared. He didn't want to die just yet because his life couldn't be this short. He watched his brother dashed towards him but was only stopped by the older vampire.

"I love the smell of your blood. You really do smell delicious that my throat is begging to be quenched since earlier", Yuki pushed Ichiru down on the floor. She licked the blood staining her nails cleanly, her eyes shifting to three different colours, a sign of heavy bloodlust.

"Pl-Please don't kill me! Ple-Please! I'll do anything!" Ichiru croaked.

"Tempting offer. Then, can I drink all your blood?"

"Please, not that! I am not ready to die yet!"

"Then, will you forever be my servant? Are you satisfied to live as the lowest vampire of our kind? You know I have said that I sort of like you," Yuki purred, tugging a smirk on her pretty face.

"Not that! Please, not that too!"

"Well, then, I would have to drink your blood until you are just a lifeless corpse".

"W-Wait! Yes, I'll be your servant but please don't kill me!"

Yuki pondered for a while. She had heard a few pureblood and nobles owning slaves and their testimonies were all positive. And plus, she did take a liking of Ichiru when they first met in the forest. It wouldn't be so bad to keep a slave, would it? And his appearance was rare too. Something that no one else had ever own before.

"If that's what you wish, I'll grant it for you". Yuki tilted Ichiru's neck to expose the smooth skin. She buried her fangs deep into the flesh and began to suck the blood out. Ichiru's eyes rolled backward at the pleasuring sensation that ran down his spine. He had never thought that vampire feed in a way that would not hurt their prey. Such a noble act for a predator. The memory of meeting Yuki flashed in his mind as Yuki fed from him.

_ Ichiru was astounded by the Chrysanthemum field on the other side of the track. Who would know that behind the bushes lied hidden beautiful sight that nature could give birth too? Ichiru bent low and pulled a flower close to his nose to indulge himself in the sweet fragrance of the flower. _

_ He was greeted by a pair of shoeless feet. Ichiru tilted his head up and gasped when he saw a beautiful girl smiling at him. She had the most mesmerizing smile and her shoulder length brunette hair moved in sync with the wind._

_ "What are you doing, little one?" she asked curiously._

_ "Looking at the flowers. I want to collect some of this for a friend who lives on the other side of the forest. I mean, he's sick". _

_ "Oh. May I sit down next to you?" the girl asked and Ichiru allowed her . _

_ "Do you like the flowers here?" She asked while plucking one for herself._

_ "I do. How about you? Do you like them?" _

_ "I have lived in this forest for all my life and yes, I don't hate them". _

_ "That's nice to hear". _

_ The girl twirled the flower in between her fingers._

_ "I like you", she said out of the blue._

_ "Um, excuse me?"_

_ "I said I like you. It's a shame that we won't be together for long and we don't even talk enough"._

_ "Wait, do you really mean it?"_

_ "Yes, I do. Ah, but I think I have to go now". She stood up. _

_ "Wait! You haven't told me your name"._

_ "Maybe later. If we meet again, that is", she said and vanished into thin air. _

Ichiru's eyes lose focus when Yuki pulled away from his neck. Something inside him was changing but he couldn't tell what.

"Tell me your name, slave", Yuki whispered softly.

"Ichiru Kiryuu".

"From now on, I, Yuki Kuran will be your master. Remember that, Ichiru Kiryuu". She cut open her wrist and let the blood dripped into Ichiru's mouth. Ichiru shivered at the copper taste of blood and he found himself losing his will to it. His eyes suddenly grew heavy and he tried to hold onto Yuki for balance. Then, his vision blurred before retreating to cold darkness.

**-Riding Hoods-**

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Kaname was straddling Zero's waist. It had been difficult for the vampire to corner the said boy when at last, the chase came to an end in the kitchen on its floor. Zero tried to push the bloodsucker away but he was unmoving. Just how strong were these creatures anyway? And not only that, his younger brother was in the other room, being hurt by the other vampire. Zero had to save his brother fast but he just didn't know how to escape from this sick creature.

Kaname leaned forward and licked the contour of his neck. Zero bit back a moan. He would not lose himself to such lowly act and for Ichiru's sake, he knew he had to keep himself together.

"Let the fuck go, you devil!" He tried to punch the bloodsucker but missed the face by a few millimeters.

"You have an attitude and vampire is not a devil", Kaname mused aloud.

"I don't care what you think and get off!" he shouted into the brunette's ears.

"Now, now", Kaname held the shoulder of the silver haired teen and leaned into his personal bubble, "why do you think I would let go of my prey when I can feed off him and make him writhe in pleasure while doing so?"

"I don't see how one could feel pleasure when he is being drained!" Zero snapped angrily.

"Well, I'm sure that Ichiru-kun would say otherwise, Zero-kun".

"How the hell do you know?"

"I can smell his blood, Zero".

Panic began to consume him. Zero's eyes darted towards the living room. Ichiru was... Ichiru was in trouble!

"Ichiru! Ichiru!" He shouted, hoping that Ichiru would respond back but not a word was heard from his twin who had always been the obnoxious one.

"Sounds like he won't be able to talk to you again. Ever".

"What did you do to Ichiru, you bastard?" Zero tried to reach for the basket that had fallen on the floor on the earlier struggle. When he successfully grabbed it, he aimed the basket to Kaname's face but the basket exploded into tiny pieces even before it hit the said vampire. Rose petals scattered together with the basket pieces and Kaname caught a crimson petal in his hand and ran the petal onto Zero's cheek.

"I didn't do anything to Ichiru, Zero. My sister did. It won't be my fault if he died, Zero-kun".

"No, no, no!" The teen tried to punch Kaname again. Without realizing it, a wet trail flowed down slowly on his face.

"Shh... you're not supposed to have that painful expression on your face, Zero-kun". Kaname wiped the tears away from the lilac eyes. Kaname couldn't stand looking at Zero in pain. He couldn't understand human's need to be with another human. Like Zero needed Ichiru. If it were to vampire, even if Yuki died, he would have not feel the pain as much as how Zero was showing his sorrow to him now.

Humans are weak. Even the strongest hunter like Yagari could become like what Zero had become because of another human.

"This is just not you. I feel my emotions whirling for you, Zero and seeing you like this, I feel guilty. Us vampire doesn't need such weakness, Zero and I hate it". Kaname pulled the boy up and wrapped his arms around the teen.

"I'll make the pain go away, Zero. This is the best thing I can do for you".

"What do you me-" Zero gasped when Kaname sunk his teeth into his neck. It wasn't painful at all, to Zero's surprise. Kaname had been right. Vampire didn't like to feel guilty and that was why they tried to make death a happy ending to their prey. Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad after all. Who else would he turn to? Ichiru was gone. How about mother? Zero smiled. She would be able to handle their lost because she is strong.

"If only she hadn't sent us to the lion's den, we might not even be caught in this hell", Zero whispered quietly. Kaname rubbed the back of the said teen comfortingly, his fangs deeply embedded into Zero's flesh.

"And I wonder if Yagari-sensei had been truly sick. What if it had been a trap from the beginning?" Kaname pulled the boy closer. For a moment, he thought of retracting his fangs from the said boy. He questioned his action but he knew that he had to keep his word to wipe Zero's pain. Zero rested his chin on the brunette's shoulder, his sobbing stopped and reduced to hiccups.

"And if I had met you as a human, how do you think we will end up being? Best friends?" Maybe something more but it would be a difficult path for both of them. Maybe it would be better for him to meet Kaname as his food rather than his equal. Zero closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of his blood being taken away from him. He was glad that Kaname was keeping his promise. Otherwise, he wouldn't know how to survive on his own.

Kaname took another gulp which he deemed would be the last and the silver haired teen breathe out his last word. The brunette male hugged the lifeless body, too shocked to even release the said teen. He had done it. He had killed the only person that could have been the moon to his darker world. Kaname didn't think that the chance would come by twice and now, he had destroyed his own heart by destroying this frail prey, his red riding hood.

"I too feel the same way for you but I am a vampire. I cannot live with affection", Kaname cradled the limp body. He hadn't realized the tears that he had never shed made the path down to the red hood belonged to Zero. Would his life be different if he had let Zero alive? For once, he wished he could turn back time and decided to make the teen his rather than killing him like this.

Zero's last word had touched his stone heart. The warmth the words radiated couldn't be rekindled by anyone else and that he knew.

His last word was still vivid to Kaname.

_"You were beautiful among the roses that I couldn't help but to think that I might have sewn a small thread of the feeling that might have been the seed to love in my heart". _

Oh, how Kaname regretted his action now! He regretted it so much that he wanted to go and find Zero in the afterlife. He lifted the body bridal style and walked out of the kitchen. He saw Yuki rocking Ichiru who was still breathing with a satisfied look on her face.

"I didn't kill him, brother and I don't think I will regret my action at all", Yuki said. She morphed both herself and Ichiru into bat form and flew out from the house.

Kaname sighed. If only he had made the same decision as Yuki did.

**-Riding Hoods-**

Ichiru sat on the tree branch as he watched the coffin being lowered into the hole in the ground. Inside the coffin was his brother, Zero who was murdered by Kaname Kuran, the brother of his master. He would have been standing next to his mother to comfort her if it hadn't been for the fact that he had now be bounded by blood with his master, Yuki Kuran. Yagari was also attending the funeral and Ichiru could tell the guilty feeling that was shown on his expression.

"Are you done or do you need to wait until the service ends?" Shiki who had followed him to the funeral asked.

"No, I think we should leave now", Ichiru said. He had sneaked out from the mansion just to see Zero off to the other world against his master's will. There would be punishment for him if she realized of his disappearance. He gave a last glance before muttering 'goodbye' to everyone that he knew. He would not be returning to the town anytime soon, never again would he step close to his hometown.

Once the service ended, everyone had left for their home. The sun set down to sleep and Kaname appeared in front of the grave. He hung the red hood on the tombstone with Zero's name carved into it and he waited and waited silently for something to happen.

When the sky was dark enough, a hand dug its way out from the ground. Kaname smiled and thanked god for the miracle. The thread that tied them together was still alive in between them, albeit invisible to the eyes.

"Welcome home, Zero", he whispered softly and grabbed the hand before using his power to make a hole for Zero to climb up to the surface.

"Kuran-sama". The said silver haired teen allowed himself to be pulled up by the brunette.

"You look handsome in the suit, even when it is meant for the dead. Seeing you like this makes me glad for the last drop of blood that has been left in you".

"Me too, Kuran-sama". Both of their hands tangled with each other. The day after today would be a new day for them. Kaname leaned forward and kissed the younger teen lightly.

They watched the full moon with appreciation. They had decided to be away from the world forever, maybe go into hibernation if they had too. Kaname kissed the hand of his beloved, the hand that he would never let go and both of them vanished into thin air, never to be seen again.

**THE END!**

A/N: Oh god! I actually manage to finish a long one shot!LOL. Do you really think that I would kill Zero? I'm not that cruel! Pft! Please! So, what do you think of the story? Worth reviewing? Or not? Tell me what you think so that I can improve. Thank you for reading the one-shot anyway. I will now take my humble leave. Thank you again.

And I know that I left the ending questionable… but Kaname did say that he was glad for the last drop of blood, meaning that he didn't completely sucked out Zero's blood. I'm not going into detail for that part though. So, see ya again!


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